The House Will Not Return the $40 million dollars in Funding to the University of Wyoming.

Taken from the University of Wyoming

CHEYENNE, Wyo.-- An amendment has failed to pass, denying the return of $40 million dollars to the University of Wyoming funding. This means the university will lose 11% of its funding, leading to cuts across academic departments on campus.

University officials say that because departments like the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Natural Resources, and the College of Education are excluded, this will feel more like a 15.4% cut for affected departments. 

The cuts were initiated by the Joint Appropriation Committee (JAC), which is a legislative body meant to review and set the budget for state agencies such as the University of Wyoming. 

The main concern over the budget was due to concerns of overspending and compliance with previous legislation on diversity, equity, and inclusion. (DEI)

The amendment to restore the $40 million dollars in funding failed in a vote of 53-7 votes.

The DEI department at the University of Wyoming has been shut down indefinitely.